Green Street Hammers
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Rice at DM unlocked Obiang in West Ham win

By Scott Johnson

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Pedro Obiang of West Ham United reacts during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Pedro Obiang of West Ham United reacts during the Premier League match between Everton FC and West Ham United at Goodison Park on September 16, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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When it was announced that Jack Wilshere was injured for the weekend’s match, some fans asked who would be West Ham’s ball playing central midfielder. Obiang answered all those questions against Everton, thanks to Declan Rice.

After Pellegrini went for a 4-3-3 or 4-1-4-1 formation against Everton, you wonder why it hasn’t worked for West Ham all season. The team looked balanced in both attack and defence, able to support the front men without abandoning the defence. So what was the big difference here?

The Chilean went for the same formation against Liverpool on the opening day, but it was torn apart. Too many times the ball was wasted when we had possession, and defensively we were all over the place. However now the players are more used to the shape, and Rice’s position allowed Obiang to flourish further forward for the Hammers than ever before.

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Whilst it was great to see us score 3 goals this weekend, for my money that flows from having a true DM. Rice acted as an anchor to allow Obiang (and Noble to some extent) the ability to push higher. This allows us to win the ball higher up and also support attacks easier. All because one young Irish/Englishman can hold his position well and take out space for the opposition.

When we’ve seen Obiang before it’s been in that defensive midfield role. Whilst he has a great passing range that’s been restricted by how deep he’s been before, but pushed up he was able to be quick and creative, moving into space beyond the Everton midfielders. For the first goal it wasn’t his pass to get Arnautovic free that impressed me, but the initial find of the Austrian. Facing his goal, he found our striker simply and then moved, not waiting to see what happened. That’s what our midfield has been missing.

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And his assist for Arnie was also very clever. The weight perfect for the Austrian to move on to with a little dink to clear the first defender. Obiang could be one part of the midfield issue. But only because Rice played so well in that holding role. It’s obvious now why Pellegrini wants him there, and I expect a lot of development from the youngster. How will he cope against an inform Hazard this week though? That’s another question altogether.